Ghosts of the Past
by existential1rony
Summary: It's been a month since everything fell apart and the Unit got disbanded. Just when Hailey & Jay think things are normalizing again and they're finally ready to admit they'd like to take the next step in their relationship, the rug gets pulled from under them. What happens when someone from Hailey's past returns, sending all their thoughts & plans spiraling? #Upstead
1. Chapter 1

**[Disclaimer: It pains me that I have to do this because I sadly still have hope in humanity and morals, but alas... It's been brought to my attention that some people have been stealing my stories. I ONLY post on FanFiction and ArchiveofourOwn... so if you come across anything of mine on Wattpad or any of the socials, please report it. Thank you! And to the offenders, be better people!] **

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It's been a little over a month since Kelton was murdered and the Intelligence Unit was left in upheaval. Since then things have changed drastically, for the moment, and forever. The running theory around the entire Chicago Police Department is that Brennan killed Kelton, and was assisted by Voight to help cover her tracks. She's completely in the wind and hasn't been heard from since that dreadful early May day; and as for Voight, he's gone dark as well. He did reach out to his team on all their burner phones to let them know he had a plan to fix everything, he just doesn't know how soon he can pull it off. Outside of that, none of them have any clue where he is, not even Platt.

As for the rest of the unit, that chaos is just as bad. After Antonio relapsed in his car he really couldn't handle the guilt anymore. He went to Detective Heller to not only confess to everything, but also to make him aware that he's in the know about his prostitute of a daughter. The only stipulation he wanted out of that little piece of blackmail was that Adam gets to walk away scott-free in a trade for him. A day later Adam was released and Antonio sacrificed himself for the greater good. Adam was enraged, and Kim and Trudy were completely heartbroken, but there was nothing any of them could do. Antonio needed to do this, he needed this amends, and what's done is done. They wished there could have been a better sendoff for one of their favorite detectives who helped to start their unit, but sometimes life has other plans. He feels at peace now, even though it's behind a jail cell, and that's all that matters. With his upstanding background and confession, he'll be out in 10 years with good behavior; it was an accident after all. It eases all of their minds some.

The saving grace for Kim, Kevin, and Adam is that they get to stay under Platt's wing for now. The only caveat is that they're all back on Patrol again. Definitely not what any of them would like to be doing again, but they know their patience will pay off soon enough, they trust in Voight. The new Superintendant actually allowed Kevin and Kim to be partnered again, and Adam is doing well riding with an older officer who ironically enough, reminds him a lot of Al. The three of them have stayed close, and if they don't constantly think about everything that's happened, to them they still feel like a huge part of their team is still intact.

Jay and Hailey are a slightly different story. They've distanced themselves from the others a little for now; mostly in order to keep their emotions under control and not think about how much they've all lost. All five did all get together for drinks a couple weeks ago, but it was really the only time they all hung out since everything went down. The one silver lining in all of this is that Jay & Hailey have managed to stay close with each other, despite not being partners anymore and in separate departments completely. They don't see each other quite everyday like they used to, but manage at least three or so nights a week depending on their latest cases. Robbery and Homicide begged to have Hailey back once they found out Intelligence was being split with all the turmoil and naturally, she had not much choice but to agree. As for Jay, with his Ranger background, SWAT had decided that they'd like to have him on some of their special cases. While they certainly didn't get to follow the other where they went job wise, they've managed to maintain it in their personal lives, and they're the only ones that keep each other sane these days.

In fact, tonight is one of those nights that they're doing their _thing_. They were both done with their individual work days by 7 o'clock and decided to meet up at Hailey's favorite watering hole for dinner and drinks. In a Summer where _everything_ has changed, they're so glad this has stayed the same. Their smiles beaming for the first time today when they see each other and both getting the butterflies in their stomach that neither has yet to admit to the other. Their feelings have all been coming to a head the past couple of weeks though. The tension has ticked up a notch, their flirting has been more bold, even their hugs goodbye have been held a beat too long to just be friendly. Neither is sure precisely when they've both become more daring, but if they had to guess it all culminated on that fateful May day. If looks could speak, then their moment in the break room that day would have screamed to "kiss each other!" Of course, everything fell around them that day and they didn't have much time to question or think about it… but now that a few weeks have passed, and things have settled as well as they could for now, not to mention that there's no imaginary line between them being partners anymore; how they really feel for the other is all they ever think about these days.

Hailey has still had her reservations, and is obviously too scared to make the first move… after all, if she doesn't guard her heart, who will!? Even though the little voice inside her head screams _Jay_… and her subconscious knows that he's the only one for her, the only one who can, has, and ever will break through her walls and protect her… so she finds herself running away less. While she may not make the first move, she knows she won't be able to turn him away ever again if he does.

"I still can't believe your latest case made headlines as the 'Insane Clown Posse!' You'd think there'd be some kind of copyright from that 90's band? Talk about a throwback to high school…" Jay says.

"Y'know I don't know what's more embarrassing… the fact that a bunch of robbers thought it looked cool dressing up as clowns, or how much you just dated yourself right now? Damn you're old!.." Hailey teases him.

Jay can't help but laugh. "You got some nerve, you're like barely 4 years younger than me!"

"That may be so, but I was in middle school when they were popular, and I will _always_ look younger and better than you!" she smirks and then lets out a shocked giggle as he pokes her side in a ticklish manner from the stool next to her. She swats his hand away while still smiling.

"Fine, I will admit that you'll always be the pretty one…" he gives her his flirtatious grin and they both can't help but stare at the other a second too long.

"Don't you have some fries to finish instead of trying to hit on me?"

"Trust me Hailey, when I'm hitting on you, you'll know!"

"I don't know about that, you're probably so corny and rusty at this point."

"Wow! You got the jokes today, Hails!"

She shrugs and laughs, "Have to get it out of my system somehow, I don't see you as much as we used to."

"Yea, that's true… maybe there's a way we can change that though!" Jay's expression suddenly turning more serious.

"What do you mean? Have you heard from Voight again?"

"No, sorry, I haven't… _that's not what I meant_…" his voice drops down towards the end as he tries to imply his unfinished thoughts, knowing she'd understand.

"Jay…" she whispers back cautiously.

He reaches over and grabs her hand from off her lap and holds it for a bit before he starts to speak again. "Come on, let's go back to your place and talk in private. It's long overdue."

"_Talk_ Jay, really?" she questions smirking slightly, trying to calm her beating heart.

"Yes, _talk_, Hailey… to start anyway!" Jay winks and grins at her, getting his favorite eye roll and headshake back at him.

"Ok… you're right, we probably do have to finally talk about what _this_ really is…" she reiterates while staring back at him, the intensity of their gaze getting more powerful by the second.

He begrudgingly lets go of her hand so they can stand up and start walking out. "Lead the way."

As they start walking towards the door and back out into the night, he confidently and softly puts his hand on the small of her back, pleased when he sees it makes her shiver and she doesn't push him away.

They're in their own little world as they make their way to the parking lot, both positively gleeful that it seems like their time has finally come; when they hear a voice call out walking towards them in the direction of the bar, their face hidden in the shadows.

"Hailey! I figured I'd find you here…"

Hailey stops dead in her tracks as she recognizes the voice instantly, shuddering eerily all the way down her spine. She hasn't heard that voice in almost six years. She never thought she'd hear that voice again. She shouldn't be able to. It's not possible… _It can't be_… But she knows deep down in her core that it's him, _somehow_, and every single emotion rises at once, anger being the most prevalent.

"_GARRET?…_" she finally chokes out.

Jay's hand drops from her back instantly, in as complete of shock as her. He turns to see her remorseful and stunned face and knows it to be true. All he can do is whisper to her in surprise.

"Garret!? As in your ex-partner? The guy who _died?_…" It pains him to get out the next part but he powers through. "…the guy you were _in love with_ and lost!?"

"It's been a long time, Upton!.."

The apparent ghost from her past says as he walks closer to them and into the street light. Jay instantly recognizing him from the photograph Hailey still has. There's some aging and harder edges for sure, but it's definitely him. And in that moment, Hailey and Jay feel their whole world get ripped out from under them again…

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_[A/N: SURPRISE! Sorry to leave y'all hanging, but I hope it will be worth it... As you can tell, this will be another multi-chapter; TBD how long I will make it, but we'll play it by ear. Hope you enjoyed the prelude thus far, and thank so much for the continued support, reads, and reviews, it means a lot! So happy to see more Upstead stories/fans these days, keep 'em coming!] _


	2. Chapter 2

Jay watches as Hailey steps away from him and moves closer to Garret , both of them still completely stunned, none more than Hailey obviously. There are so many emotions running through his head right now, fear taking second, fear that he's going to lose Hailey. The most prevalent is total and complete jealousy, even more so than what he felt when she was with Adam. How can this be? How can he even begin to hold a candle to the guy that she loved and thought she lost forever? The guy that broke her so completely when she thought he was killed over her? How does this even happen?

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!? WHAT THE HELL?" Jay gets whisked away from his thoughts as he hears Hailey finally speak for the first time since she said Garret's name. Her eyes blazing daggers at him.

"It's a long story, Hails, and I promise I'll explain everything." Garret replies.

_Hails… who does he think he is calling her Hails? That's his nickname for her_.

"Yea, well you better start talking!" Jay makes a point to say, reminding the former whatever-they-were that he's also here.

"Jay, _Please_!..." she gives him one of her pleading looks, silently asking him not to start.

"Who's Mr. Over-Protective, Hailey, your boyfriend?"

"He's my partner, Garret, _was_ my partner… Not that it's any concern of yours, y'know, since you're dead and all!"

"Right! Well, as much as I'd not like to delve into the past in the middle of a parking lot in front of a guy I don't even know, I guess I should simply start by saying that my death was faked…"

Eyes are rolled at him by not just Hailey, but Jay too. The in-sync partners frowning, arms folded, looking back at him skeptically.

"Save your discernment okay… Booth found out I was a cop, and if you thought he wanted to kill me without knowing that fact, you can only imagine after. I wasn't scared, figured I could handle him; but the Feds wanted to pull me, wanting nothing jeopardizing that assignment and all the bigger fish catching Booth would bring. So they shipped me off to Witness Protection."

Jay sees Hailey's face warm up a bit as his gets more doubtful. "Really? So then why didn't they release you when Booth went away the first time, or better yet the second time when _WE_ put him away for good last year?"

"Damn Hailey, you really got a buttinsky in this new guy… I dig the protective vibe though, I get it."

Hailey notices Jay getting more agitated and she sighs herself. "Just answer the question, Garret!"

"Look, I'd love to, but there are some things that need to be said in private, a lot of stuff is still confidential."

"Alright, well, we're doing this tonight and getting it over with. How'd you know where to find me by the way?" Hailey replies.

"Seriously Hailey, this has been your favorite dive bar since before I met you, you're probably the only one who still goes to this place!" Garret smiles warmly at her and Jay feels his blood boil even more.

"Yea yea… okay, let's go back to my place so you can fill me in on destroying my life for the better part of a year. Jay… can we raincheck, _please_…" she begs the last part, knowing full well he's not going to be happy.

"What? HELL NO… Hailey, I'm not letting you go _anywhere_ alone with this guy! Absolutely not! Anything he has to say he can say with me there!" Jay responds irately.

Garret's face shows anger now too. "Listen buddy, I've been nice thus far, but Hailey and I go back further than you ever will! I don't know who you think you are thinking she can't trust me!"

"Oh no, you're just the guy who abandoned her for years, making her think that your sorry ass was killed over Booth's obsession over her, letting her guilt and grief eat her alive for half a decade!"

Hailey shakes her head at the two of them, still in disbelief that a situation like this can possibly be happening right now.

"Jay, stop! It's ok… I'll be fine… I _promise_! Garret and I have to catch up, and it's the only way that's feasible right now. We all know how cases with the Feds work. I'll call you later tonight, I promise!.." she grabs his elbow reassuringly and gives it a squeeze.

He shakes his head at her and hoarsely whispers out, "I don't like this Hailey!"

"I know… but we'll be alright…" she gives him her half-smile, doing her best to assure him.

He finally nods and sighs, knowing he's not going to win this battle. When she's finally confident that Jay's as okay as can be, she signals to Garret to follow her, both men giving the other a death stare as they walk away. Jay can only watch on as he watches the girl he's in love with walk away with her past, his gut a bundle of nerves, _damn he needs another drink_.

With that thought he decides to head to the only other place he can think of right now. When he arrives he bangs the front door repeatedly trying to get his aggressions out.

"Jesus Christ, Jay! What's going on?" Jay stares back at Will's shocked expression once the door opens. Had this been any other night he'd probably feel guilty, but he has nowhere else to turn right now.

"Sorry man, were you sleeping already?"

"I do have shift in 6 hours, but clearly you need to get something off your mind. Who'd have thought you'd wake me up more when we're no longer living together!?" Will tries to crack a joke figuring Jay could use one. He had gotten his own place again a couple of weeks ago, as fun as shacking up with his brother was.

"You know I wouldn't bother you, but you're the only one I can talk to right now…" Jay says quietly, his emotions still simmering beneath the surface.

"Well, I'm guessing this has something to do _with_ Hailey if it's _me_ you're coming to…"

Jay understands Will's implication that she'd be his first call for just about anything else. If he was in a better mood he might grin at that, seeing how well his brother could read him. He's tried to keep his feelings for Hailey under lock and key, but clearly people have been catching on.

He heads over to Will's fridge and grabs a beer. Swallowing half of it before Will could even get another word out. Just when he thought his relationship with Hailey was _finally_ about to progress in the right direction, this happens. He swears if he didn't have bad luck or timing he'd simply have none at all. He should be with Hailey right now, talking about _them_, not here with Will as she catches up with her ex that shouldn't even exist anymore. Augh! He's so angry, and jealous, and shocked, and hurt, and sad, and he doesn't know which one he feels more, honestly. He doesn't know what he'll do if he's missed his chance with Hailey completely. This was _their time_!

"Jay, I'd hate to break you at of your sulking, but it's getting late, and you still have yet to utter a word at what's wrong…" Will breaks him out of his thoughts.

"I was going to lay it all out and tell Hailey how I feel about her tonight, and I think she was going to do the same…"

"What? Really? That's great!"

"Yea, it was… until her ex decided to show up back from the dead…"

Will looks at him perplexed, wondering if he heard right. "Wait, WHAT?"

"Remember Hailey's old partner I mentioned a while ago, the one who got killed? One of the reasons she's so guarded?"

"Yea, a little, why?"

"Well, apparently he never actually got killed. He was put into Witness Protection or something…"

"Oh, I like this guy already!" Will jokes until he sees Jay's somber expression continue, realizing he should be more serious. "I'm sorry, continue!"

"Anyway, this guy shows up at the bar today, in the flesh, right as we're leaving!"

"WOW!" Will doesn't know what else to say.

"Tell me about it!" Jay chugs down the rest of his beer.

"Alright, so this guy, her old partner, or ex, or whatever, he's cleared to return… What's the big deal? I'd want to come explain myself to my friends and family too." Will questions, not totally understanding the predicament.

"You don't get it Will, she was in love with this guy! Losing him broke her…"

"Ah, I see… and you're worried his coming back will change whatever it is that she feels for you?"

"Kinda, yea…"

Will nods at him sympathetically. It's a pretty rough scenario, but things always work out how they're meant to in the end.

"Let me ask ya something… you're in love with Hailey right?"

"Will…" Jay stammers, not wanting to admit it to someone else before admitting it to her even.

"Just answer the question, Jay!"

"Yes, I'm in love with Hailey, of course I am, why else would I care?"

"Alright, soo, if Erin came back tomorrow, to explain everything… would that change how _you _feel about Hailey _now_!?"

Jay understands what Will is trying to get at, but he doesn't think it constitutes as the same. "It's a different situation Will. Erin LEFT me, Hailey had to deal with Garret _dying_!"

"Except she didn't, because clearly he's not dead!" Will smirks.

"Is that your medical diagnosis Will?" Jay rolls his eyes at his brother, not in the mood for all the hypothetical scenarios.

"All I'm trying to get at Jay is if Hailey REALLY loves you, nothing's going to change that. The past is in the past. Yes, her situation may certainly be the more dramatic one… but if you would choose Hailey now over Erin, what makes you think she wouldn't do the same with you?"

"For starters, I don't even know if she feels the same way about me that she once did for Garret…"

"There's only one way to find out…"

"Yea…"

It's Will's turn to roll his eyes. "But you're stubborn and you're just going to continue to stew without talking to her…"

"I'll see what happens… I just wish I would have made a move on her sooner… at least I'd feel slightly more confident in his return if we were actually together… Anyway, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it!"

"Anytime! You're welcome to crash on the couch if you want, just beware I'm getting up again at 4."

"Thanks but I think I'm gonna head home actually. I'd rather be there for when Hailey calls."

Jay gets up from the couch and starts making his way back to the front door. Right before he's about to exit it he hears Will call out again.

"Hey Jay… you guys are gonna be fine! If she's put up with you for this long, she must really love you!"

Jay shakes his head and smiles. "Thanks bro!"

With that he heads out into the night again, still not feeling at ease with the whole situation, but a little better than he was. For now he just hopes he hears from Hailey sooner rather than later, he knows he'll constantly worry until he does. He lets out a deep sigh and starts the drive back to his place.

* * *

Hailey can't believe she's sitting in her kitchen with Garret of all people. _Garret_! Her partner that she looked up to so much. A love that she mourned for _years_. And if she's being totally honest, didn't fully recover from or become whole again until the past couple… until _Jay_ came along. Jay! The guy she was finally almost ready to shout her feelings from the rooftops for. How can this all be happening? She looks at Garret now from across the island and she's really not sure what she feels for him now. Part of her knows she should be ecstatic that he's alive, but she also can't help but feel betrayed. She knows he didn't fake his death and abandon her on purpose, but he could have found a way to reach out somehow. They were in law enforcement after all. When she looks at him now, it's like she's looking back at a time in her life to a person who no longer exists. She doesn't know that girl anymore. She doesn't want to. So much of her life has changed since then.

"Hails, I know how angry and confused you must be…" Garret says waking her from her thoughts.

"Garret, don't! Don't try to make this better, I just want the truth for once!"

"Okay… well, as you know, it all started the night after New Year's. Booth had always hated me, but when I pulled him off of you that night, his hate turned to loathing. He dug even deeper into me than he already was, somehow found one of my old CI's. He told him who I really was then Booth killed him, I was going to be next. The Feds had been monitoring because they wanted Booth's supplier. They yanked me out, made everyone assume I was dead, and shipped me off to Maryland."

"Alright, so that explains the beginning. It doesn't explain how you couldn't find some way to let me know you were still alive, nor what Jay asked about why you're resurfacing now when Booth's been in jail?"

"Hailey, you know how critical these situations are, I couldn't reach out. Not only for my safety, but yours! Plus, the FBI was watching me like a hawk, there was no way. As for why it's taken me so long to return, after the first year or so the Feds decided they wanted to keep me for themselves and from the WPP they've been sending me deep undercover for various ops. I only just got furlough a week ago and Chicago is the first stop I made…"

"So why are you coming here? Surely there's other people you owe explanations to."

Garret reaches out to grab Hailey's hand but she pulls away.

"Hails, you know why I came here…"

"It was a long time ago, Garret… People change. _I've_ changed. Hell, your _death _made me change…"

"I'm sorry, I really am! I never meant to hurt you!"

"I know…"

"So, the partner… you love him?"

Hailey averts her eyes by looking down at her beer bottle. Smiling softly as she thinks of Jay and just how much he's helped her over the years without even realizing it.

"Yea…"

Garret nods his head. "He's a lucky guy!" he simply says, fully aware he gave up the rest of his chances with her when he had to give her up all those years before. She smiles back at him in understanding.

"Well, since you're owed all my honesty these days, I should probably tell you there's also another reason I came back here first…"

Hailey raises her brow at him. "Yea? And what's that?"

"Despite what you may think, I have had my ways of keeping tabs on you all these years. Even if I couldn't reach out, I had to make sure you were okay. I've known you were in Intelligence, and I know everything that's gone down with it. And Voight had his reputation as far back as the days of me being a beat cop, but he's good police, always was. As are you, and I hate to see all this happening. I can't get into too many details, but like I said, I'm pretty well-liked in the FBI now. I know a lot of people. A lot of people who let's just say may owe me some favors… Anyway, I think I can help you and Voight and your team."

Hailey stares at him wondering if this is all some kind of big joke. Is she on some candid camera show right now? She's staring back at a guy who she once knew so well, who had disappeared from her life for six years, and now he's returned telling her he has an answer to all of her problems? Well, _work_ ones at least… she's sure his return is only bound to add to her problems with Jay, especially if they're all going to have to trust Garret.

"Really? Are you serious? You would do that?"

"Of course Hailey… I want to earn your trust, and hopefully friendship back somehow. I hope you'll let me!"

"Well, where would we even start? How can you even help? Everything with Kelton and then his murder really fucked us!"

"It might still take a bit of time, but I think it can be done. Let me iron some things out and get back to you in the next few days. Will that be ok?"

"Of course, thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet!.. It's getting late, I should go, but I really appreciate you giving me the chance to explain. It was really great seeing you again, Hails!" he says as he starts walking toward her door.

"Yea, it was nice seeing you too… even if it was like seeing a ghost!" she smirks at him and he grins back gratefully for hearing her playfulness again.

As he's walking down the steps she remembers something and calls out.

"Wait, I have to give you my new number…"

"FBI Hailey, I have it…" he gives her a backwards wave and keeps walking.

Hailey closes the door shaking her head, still shocked at the turn of events. Despite everything, she's proud of herself for holding it together as well as she did. She's glad Jay was with her when it all transpired; she knows she owes it to his presence being there for keeping her sane. Speaking of Jay, she can't wait to call him… she can only imagine how anxious he must be.

She walks over to her couch with a glass of wine and gets comfortable before she taps his name on her phone. She's overwhelmed with emotions when she hears his hesitant "Hey…" coming from the other end and she can't help but smile. The smile doesn't last for long though because after she tells Jay that Garret can help with the unit, he gets condescending.

_…What makes you think we can trust him, Hailey? Until hours ago you thought he was dead. _

_…Why are you questioning my judgment of people, Jay? _

_…I just think maybe you're being a little blind here, Hailey. The guy's your long lost ex. _

_…So this is about jealousy then?_

_…Who said anything about being jealous? I'm just not sure I want to put Intelligence's life in some claimed undercover agent's hands. He just wants to get back in your good graces. _

_…So what, Jay? What's the reasoning matter if it gets our team back together? If it gets Voight his name back? _

_…It's late Hailey, can we not have this discussion right now?_

_…Fine Jay, I'd hate to keep you from your beauty sleep with something this important! God you can be so infuriating sometimes!_

_…Hailey…_

_…No, Jay, you made your opinion clear. Goodnight! We'll discuss this tomorrow. _

And with that Hailey hangs up the phone and throws it into her couch cushion, vividly annoyed. She knew Garret's return would put a wrench in her relationship with Jay the second she told Jay she had to talk with him in private… she just didn't know he was going to be _this_ immature about it. She wants to understand his viewpoint, but she's too tired to analyze everything right now. With the day she's had, she deserves some sleep. The rest of the drama will just have to wait…

* * *

_[A/N: Felt bad I left such a cliffhanger, so here's Chapter 2 a day later... don't get too used to a daily update, while I try to maintain updating frequently, this was ambitious even for me, haha. It's a fairly long one though, so I hope it holds ya over until the next. A little more layout for where the story is going, and even though I don't watch "Med," another cameo from Will since Halstead Bro time is so loved ;) Anyway, thank you for the positive response so far, I really appreciate it! Hope this chapter lived up to the expectation!] _


	3. Chapter 3

It's been four days since Garret's shocking return. Since then Hailey has been in touch with him, but just over the phone. He's told her he's started to form a plan with another government agent he knows to clear Voight's name so that he can finally return and reclaim Intelligence. As happy as that makes her to hear, she doesn't want to get too optimistic yet. She's also been in an extra irritable mood because it's also been four days since she last saw Jay. It's not because they're fighting over Garret, entirely. They've both been super busy with work and just haven't had the time, despite wanting to clear the air. Luckily she's supposed to see him tomorrow when them and the rest of their old unit reconvene for her potential big news. She has yet to tell him she also invited Garret along, and is kind of dreading how that conversation is going to go.

It's just after 10:30 when she's finally pulling up to her townhouse after a long day of work. As she goes to park in her driveway, she notices Jay's truck parked out front. She can't help the huge grin that forms as she catches a glimpse of him sitting on her steps waiting for her. It doesn't matter how angry she ever gets at him, seeing him always brings her an ounce of joy. She parks her car and makes her way up to him, smiling again as she sees him hold up a bottle of her favorite tequila.

"Not that this isn't a nice surprise, but why didn't you call? Have you been waiting long?" she says as she starts inserting the key into her door to open it while he stands and follows her inside.

"I didn't know if you were still pissed at me, so didn't want to risk you telling me no…" he smirks at her as she gives him one of her looks.

"Besides, I only finished work a little while ago too, and I mayyyy have called yours on the way here. Hernandez owes me a favor so he fessed up to me that you were just about ready to leave as well…"

She rolls her eyes at him, but chuckles nonetheless; grabbing glasses for their tequila as he leans over the kitchen island. "Hmm, I see… and what would you have done if I didn't come straight home?"

"Probably would have tracked your phone and found you that way."

"Wow, Jay! All to avoid a simple text, I never realized you found me so scary…"

"What can I say, I knew if you saw me in _person_, there's no WAY you could turn me down or stay mad at me!" he flashes her his flirtatious grin.

"Oh man, you really are a wishful thinker there Jay. I will admit though, it is hard to be pissed at you when you smile like that." She blushes mildly, slightly in shock she said that aloud, but plays it off by grabbing her drink and walking away from him into the living room. Not before she catches his triumphant grin though.

Before he can utter a cocky response, she quickly adds, "Don't start! You're not out of the doghouse yet, buddy!"

He laughs lightly and throws his hands up in defense as he follows her into the living room, joining her on the couch.

Hailey looks at him and shakes her head to herself, knowing she's in deep. He really does make it hard to stay mad at him. She knows their light moments will probably be short-lived though because they do have to discuss Garret again, as well as filling him in about Garret coming to tomorrow's outing. She'd like to postpone that conversation for a little while longer and enjoy this moment as long as she can however; she really has missed Jay this week.

"Listen Hailey, I'm really sorry for the other night. I can't imagine what you must have been feeling and going through, and I just added more drama to it… I guess I was scared what Garret's return meant to you and I let jealousy get the best of me. I just don't want to lose you… I'm an idiot and it's killed me not seeing you these past few days!"

She stares back at him, knowing how hard it must have been for him to just admit all that. She feels warmth spread throughout her core as she smiles at him. She takes a sip of her tequila, wondering how she should proceed.

"Jay, you're not going to lose me… Garret was a huge part of my life, yes, and his return is surprising and has definitely stirred up some emotions… but none of that changes what we've had the past few years. You helped me move on more than anyone, and I'll be forever grateful to you for that."

He smiles at her adoringly. "Soo… this, _us_… it's all still on the table?"

She reaches over and grabs his hand. "Of course, did you honestly think it would change us?"

He inches nearer to her, leaning his face agonizingly close to hers. "Well, I thought we _wanted_ to change us, our… relationship… wasn't that what we were going to discuss the other night? Because I know how I feel about you Hailey, and…"

She manages to cut him off by murmuring his name, "_Jay_…"

"Hailey, doesn't the point of this all mean it's time to talk about what we really are? Where _this_ is going?"

She sighs, part of her wanting to be selfish and forget the past few days even happened. She wants so badly to live in a world where it's just a bubble with her and Jay in it. Where she can pull him into her arms and never let him go. But she knows she can't because there's so much to be done and so much more to be figured out. She owes it to Voight, to her team, to _Garret_…

"Yes, we do, _soon_… but we can't just ignore the elephant in the room, Jay. No matter how much you may want to."

It's his turn to sigh as he begrudgingly pulls his face away from hers some. "You're right… if you're ready to talk about it, about _him_, I'm ready to listen." He says with just a hint of disdain.

"There's not a whole lot more to be said than what we talked on the phone about before I, you know, hung up on you…" she grins at him teasingly, hoping it will ease his mind about this topic some before she continues.

"I deserved it!"

"True, you did, but I appreciate you worrying about me. Garret did tell me he's working on a plan with another agent to speed up the process of clearing Voight. And I do have to tell you I invited him to come with us all tomorrow night…"

"You what? Why?" he responds and she can tell he's trying to hold his irritation down.

"Look Jay, I know you may not trust him, and I get it, but I've known Garret a long time… well, I _would have_ known him for a long time. And if he says he can help, he can. He should be able to meet the people he's trying to help and fill them in himself."

"Alright, I trust you Hailey, but I can't promise I'll trust him, not after what he did!"

"That's all I'm asking Jay, just trust me on this, please?"

"Fine… I just need to know one thing. Do you still love him?"

"JAY!" she loudly exclaims, not believing he actually just asked her that.

"It's okay if you do, I'd understand… I'd just rather know sooner than later…"

"He's a big part of my past, Jay, you know this. I struggled for years with losing him. But he hasn't been a part of the defining years of my life… something that at one point in time pained me, but I eventually moved on. I've matured and grown so much since he was last a part of my life. So does that old version of me look back fondly and remember all the good times and love we shared? Of course… But that's what it is, the past. We're supposed to live for the present and the future…"

She notices the relief in his grin instantly and she stares back mesmerized as he leans his head closer to her again.

"Well, you're _my_ present, Hailey, and I really hope I can be part of your future…" he says softly.

"Maybe if you play your cards right, Halstead…" she manages to whisper out over the beating sound of her heart ringing in her ears. She knows Jay's about to kiss her if she lets him. And she knows where that will go once they kiss. And as much as she wants it with every fiber of her being, she knows they have to get through tomorrow first. Get through Jay not killing Garret, for real this time. Get through filling in the team. Get through this final hump before she can stop running completely. So she pushes through these next words.

"But as for right now, it's getting pretty late, we're both gonna have a long day tomorrow, and I'm actually a little tired…" she strokes his hand as she says it, trying to let him know she's only turning him down for the moment, not for good.

"Yea, you should get some rest… see you tomorrow!" he whispers back huskily. He then leans in again, making her think he's still going to kiss her; and at this point she can't swallow the excitement or joy anymore, he makes her too weak. But as she closes her eyes she feels his lips brush her forehead, kissing her comfortingly, and her heart constricts even more than she thought possible. She lets out a breathy sigh as she feels the couch move with the loss of weight from him standing up. She opens her eyes in time to see him smirk down at her.

"Goodnight Hailey! Sweet dreams!" he gives her his 100-watt smile as he walks away to let himself out.

She finally lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and bites into her couch cushion. _Jay Halstead really is going to be the death of her_…

* * *

The team had all chosen Molly's as their meeting destination of choice. It just seemed appropriate. None of them knew why they were called there by Hailey, just that she said it was important. Kim, Kevin, Adam, and even Trudy are all waiting at a back table anxiously waiting for Hailey and Jay to arrive. Jay arrives first since Hailey got a little delayed at work and they all pounce on him in curiosity.

"Come on bro, what's going on? There's not a lot more news we can take if you know what I mean." Adam says to Jay.

"Sorry man, it's not my thing to tell. Hailey should be here in five minutes. I'm gonna get a drink, anybody need anything?"

They all shake their heads at him, each still on their first ones.

"Oh look, here she comes, thank God!" Kim says as she sees Hailey making her way towards the back. She arrives at their table the same time Jay returns from the bar, handing her her favorite beer.

"Alright Upton, fess up already, what's so important and what news do you have?" Trudy blurts out.

"Yea, I'm not down for anymore anxiety, Hailey!" Kevin chimes in.

"Welllll guys, there may be someone I know who can help us with our situation…"

"What do you mean, who?" Adam asks.

Hailey and Jay share one of their looks, somehow making the rest of the group even _more_ anxious.

"Well, it's a crazy story, that…" she trails off as she clearly notices someone coming their way. They also watch on as they notice Jay seem to tense up.

"Who the hell is that?" Kevin whispers to Adam and Kim.

"I don't know, but he kinda looks like Hailey's ex who passed away, creepy…" Kim utters. They quiet down as Garret arrives at their table, stopping to give Hailey a hesitant and quick hug. Jay stares at him like he's ready to explode.

Garret extends his hand to shake Jay's and he begrudgingly agrees. The team looks on at the three of them completely confused.

"Guys, this is Garret, he…." Hailey starts to say.

Kim gasps and Adam catches on first and says, "Garret? Garret as in your DEAD PARTNER, GARRET!? _That Garret_?"

"The one and only… it's a long story. Garret Shaw, nice to meet you!" he says as he extends his hand to Adam to introduce himself.

Adam, Kim, Kevin, and Trudy can't hide the dazed and confused expressions on their faces, but all introduce themselves trying to shake it off.

"So long story short, Booth found out that Garret was a cop and wanted to kill him. Feds came in, pulled him out, put him into hiding, then recruited him for themselves…" Hailey quickly explains.

"How long have you known about this?" Trudy asks, looking at Hailey.

Garret answers. "Well, it was only a few days ago that I actually decided to say 'Boo' and spook the hell out of Hailey, and Jay." He smiles jokingly, actually earning a laugh from the group, minus Jay.

"Sorry, too soon!?.. Alright, enough with the jokes, I know my situation hurt and changed a lot of people's lives, including Hails. And now that I'm allowed and have some time, I'd like to make amends. And I of course wanted to start with Hailey. I can't get into too many details, but I believe I have a way to clear Voight's name. Brennan will still have to fry probably, as long as y'all are okay with that?"

"Fuck yea!" Adam exclaims.

"Yea, we're on board with whatever gets Voight back and gets us out of patrol uniforms again. I forgot how much chaffing those pants cause!" Kevin jokes, earning a chuckle from everyone. All of them feeling pretty at ease around Garret's charismatic personality, to Jay's dismay.

"Is there any way you can help Antonio Dawson too?" Kim asks hopefully.

Garret shakes his head. "I'm sorry; I actually did look into that as well. I've been following along with everything that's happened to you guys… but since he confessed, and he's already in jail, there's not a whole lot I can do. My connections don't stretch enough to set him free. I may be able to get one of the DA's to lessen the sentence though, but no promises."

"Thank you for looking into it, that's very nice of you!" Kim says slightly disappointed, Kevin grasping her shoulder.

Garret spends another few minutes going into slight detail, the ones he can reveal, of the past several years; as well as going a little more in depth on how he plans to help Voight and them. They're all enamored by this stranger whose lead a much cooler life than them, outside of all of his family & friends thinking he was dead for years. Trudy watches on, studying everything, the more trepidation of the bunch for sure. She sees how uncomfortable and upset Jay seems over Garret's presence, surmising all too well why. She watches Hailey smile and laugh slightly at his jokes, albeit still very guarded, and the older woman wonders how she must really feel about his return. It's a lot for anyone to deal with, even Hailey Upton. She sees her opportunity when Adam gets them all to agree to a shot, and signals to Garret to come over to her.

Once he's next to her, Trudy pulls him aside slightly as the rest of the group laughs on with Adam's antics.

"Listen here Ghost Whisperer… I've known Hank Voight since I was in my 20's, so a good ten years now, so I appreciate what you're trying to do for him and his team and Hailey… but I'm only going to say this once, you've hurt Goldilocks before, I'm sure she's shed enough tears over you to last a lifetime… do it again, and you WILL disappear for real this time!"

Garret smiles at her, understanding her protectiveness and amused by her candid nature. "You have my word, I have no intent to hurt Hails ever again. I wish I never had to in the first place. I assure you I'm only here to help!"

"Good, that's good. Dark and Brooding also holds a special place in my heart, so you better not set Jay back either. He's been through enough already and Hailey is good for him… they're good for each other, even if they're both too stupid to realize it!"

Garret just nods at her and Trudy nods back, quickly walking back over to the table before the group realizes they were talking privately.

Another half hour or so goes by and Kim's been noticing how quiet Jay has been this whole time. Her heart bleeds for him, she can't imagine what he must be feeling. Sure, everyone's focused on Hailey's emotions, of course… but she saw how much seeing Hailey with Adam affected Jay, _this_ must be killing him.

She hits into Jay's shoulder and starts talking to him as quietly as she can. "Hey, how you doing with this?"

"I'm fine!.. He gets Voight back, we all get what we want, right? Including him, he earns her trust again!" Jay replies.

"Jay, he seems like a nice guy… I think he just wants to make up for all the pain he put her through…"

"Well, then he shouldn't have put her through it. Most of us would literally die for Hailey if it came down to it, not find an out to advance our careers…"

"You know you mean the world to her right? In the few years I've known Hailey, you're the _only_ one I've _ever _seen her truly open up to! I've never even heard her mention many other friends… don't give up the faith or trust because of this!"

"Kim, I trust her just fine, it's _him_ I don't trust…"

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? She better not be telling you any embarrassing squad car stories!" Kevin walks over to them and says.

"Nah man, you're good! Although, I am going to go look through the dash cams now. Anyway, I think I'm gonna head out… got an early assignment tomorrow." Jay replies, staring intently as he watches Garret say something to Hailey and brush her arm.

"Jay…" Kim tries.

"I'm good, Kim, thanks!" he says as he starts saying goodbye to his old team.

He makes his way over to Hailey and simply says, "I'll talk to ya tomorrow!"

Hailey steps away from Garret trying to pull Jay back. She thought they were past this after last night.

"Jay, c'mon…"

Jay just shakes his head at her and gives her a look that she knows means there's no point in trying. He pulls away from her softly, wanting to storm out, but thinks twice about it. He leans down and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek, trying to show he's not completely upset with her per se; just at Garret and the whole situation. And with that, he walks out, not even bothering to acknowledge Garret… if he did, he'd want to rip his head off… Maybe he'll hit the gym before completely going home. He knows he'll be up all night thinking about Hailey anyway. He sighs in frustration as he reaches his truck, wishing he could turn back the clock to a week ago…

* * *

_[A/N: Thanks so much for the continued response to this story, I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the ride. Hope you caught the minuscule homage to the Hailey & Jay scene in 6X6 after Adam shows up at her door - I just loved that scene after he left & found their tension to be so intense and foreshadowing. She kinda forced Jay to leave, but def didn't want him to, so I enjoyed the full-circle repeat. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one, it's a little up & down emotion wise... sorry for that, but I promise it'll be worth it in the long run! ;p ]_


	4. Chapter 4

It's been a couple of days since the whole gang (what's left anyway) met up at Molly's. Unfortunately Hailey hasn't spoken to Jay much since that night; every time she does it circles back to the same conversation- Garret. She just can't seem to get through to Jay that Garret means no harm or ulterior motives. And if she's being honest with herself, it's starting to get really frustrating. It's been a lot dealing with this whole scenario as is, she doesn't need Jay adding more confusion and complications to it. She understands his trepidation and slight jealousy, she knows she'd probably feel the same way if Erin suddenly returned, but she wouldn't be a complete ass to her. She's at a loss at this point in how to get him on board, and she needs him to be, not only to get Voight back, but for _them_.

She's actually sitting in a local coffee shop with Garret right at this moment contemplating all of this, silently of course. As she draws circles around the top of her cup, staring down and not hearing what he was saying for the _third time_, he finally surmises her thoughts.

"I take it Jay is still upset with you… and me?

Hailey finally looks up again when Garret says his name. "What? I'm sorry, Garret, I'm a horrible companion right now."

"It's okay, I understand. I know my return stirred up a lot of stuff for you and between you guys."

"It's not you. I actually think Jay would like you under different circumstances. He's just super over-protective of me and sometimes forgets that I can take care of myself too. If I trust you, he should be able to too!"

"He's a guy Hailey, a guy who seems to care about you, a LOT! If I were him, I'd probably be reacting the same way… especially seeing how good-looking I am!" he jokes, getting a small smile from her, then continues on.

"And if I'm being entirely honest, he's not fully wrong. Of course there's a huge part of me that returned here, to you, because I thought maybe there would somehow still be a chance to redo all the years we lost. It was foolish of me; of course a girl as great as you would have found a way to move on… and from what it seems, to someone who deserves you more than I do. More than I even did back then. I've had to make peace with a lot of things these last few years, and I'm finally in a place where I can say 'it's okay!'"

Hailey looks at him with slight tears in her eyes. Part of her still mourning what was and what could have been. How different her life could have gone… but that's not what happened, and then finally she met Jay…

"Garret, I don't want you to think it was easy for me to move on after I thought you were dead. I was a mess, for a_ long_ time. Hell, I didn't even have another really serious relationship until Jay came along, and we're _still _not even officially together yet. And y'know, if I hadn't met him, I think these last couple of weeks between you & I would have gone a lot different… but I did meet him, and I can't picture being with anyone else but him at this point. I'm sorry!" she says drifting off sadly.

"Hey, you have NOTHING to be sorry for… I'm the one who put YOU through Hell. The only thing you owe me is maybe you should say all of this stuff to _him_. Maybe that will knock some sense into him."

She chuckles slightly. "It's no use, he's as stubborn as I am."

"Well, God helps us all then!" he quips. She laughs back.

As he sees her spirits perk up a little, an idea pops into his head. One he knows without a doubt he's not going to run by her. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's Hailey… and since it's what he came back for anyway, he's determined to make it happen… even if it means letting her go again…

* * *

Jay was just getting ready to change into his sweats after a long day at work and start drowning his sorrows again at the bottom of a six-pack he purchased on the way home when he hears a knock on his door. He starts heading over to it, thinking the only person it could be at this time on a weekday would be Hailey or Will, and he's really hoping it's the former. He feels the butterflies start to form in his gut, this time from nerves since he still hasn't re-cleared the air with her. When he pulls back the door, he gapes in shock.

"Garret!? What the hell are you doing here? Is Hailey with you?"

"Nope, sorry to break it you, just me!"

"Alright, well, come in I guess. Can't wait to hear what this is about."

"Wow Halstead, you've got amazing bedside manner!"

"Well, my brother's the doctor, so maybe you'll get a better response from him… How'd you get my address anyway?"

"Seriously? You're a detective, do you really have to ask?"

Jay gives him a nod in understanding, but still not thrilled at the thought of Garret digging into him. "I was just gonna have a beer, you want one?"

"Yea, that would be great, thanks! I hope to not take up too much of your time."

Jay points for Garret to help himself to a seat at his tiny kitchen table as he grabs the beer from the fridge. He takes the chair across from him and cracks his beer, taking a huge gulp before speaking again. He _really_ can't stand this guy!

"So is there something new with Voight?" Jay finally asks, extremely curious why he's here on his own.

"This is not work-related…" Garret says letting him hang.

"So it's about Hailey then? Because let me tell you, if you hurt her again, so help me…"

Garret raises his hands in defense and his voice. "JAY! Despite what you want to believe, I'm not the bad guy here. We both care for her and I just want to see her happy!"

"And what? You think you can suddenly come back into her life and do that?"

"No… I think _you _can…"

Jay's getting ready to argue again when he realizes what he said. "Wait, _what_?"

"Look, I'm not gonna lie to you… do I still love Hailey? Of course I do. At the time she was the best thing that ever happened to me…. But I know I don't deserve her anymore. And frankly, she's no longer that strong girl that I met so many years ago now. Oh, she's still strong, stubborn, and determined, that's for sure… but she's a grown woman now. One that I think even if we had stayed together, we would have eventually grown apart. When we met she was still so young and she idolized me. I was the cool, older guy with a career she admired. All that has passed now; she created her own path, developed her own dreams. And I can guarantee you all that aligns more with you than it does with me these days."

Jay stares on stunned. He's still not sure whether to trust this guy, but he's definitely making a valid argument to try to. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I can tell how much Hailey cares about you, hell she's even told me as much. And I see the way she looks at you, even 25-year old her didn't look at _me_ in quite the way she looks at _you_. And I'm here because even despite not knowing her for years now, I still know she'll be too stubborn to fess this all up on her own, and I'm hoping you won't be! I just want this out of the way so we can all focus on getting your boss back and I can return to my next assignment… because _that's_ the person I am now. I've become the job, and there's no room for much else anyway. It's where I'm happiest, & coming back here I can see that now. It's probably why I was too selfish to try to return sooner."

"Wow, I'm sorry man, I had you pegged all wrong. I just love her so much and was so scared of you taking her away from me…"

"Yea, I know. And you're not fully wrong, if I thought I'd had a legit shot, I'd totally have tried to sleep with her again…" once he starts seeing Jay's eyes narrow again he quickly adds on, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Geez Halstead, you really have it bad!"

"Yea, you can say that again…"

"Well, why the fuck you still sitting with me? Shit or get off the pot already! Do I have to do _everything_ for you guys?"

Jay laughs for the first time since meeting him at Garret's joking nature, finally seeing a glimmer of the charisma that everyone else was so enamored by. They both stand up and start making their way to the door to exit.

"Thanks man, I appreciate this." Jay says extending his hand.

"Y'know Halstead, in a different life I think we would have actually been friends…"

* * *

Hailey is in her pajamas, just about to relax with her favorite calming drink, a hot toddy (whiskey & hot tea in layman's terms) when she hears a knock on her door. She lets out a frustrated sigh, wondering what can possibly be up now. She hasn't heard from Jay at all today, so she's annoyed because she doesn't think it would be him. Not that he deserves her wanting it to be him right now, the _stupid jerk._

When she peers through the peephole and sees that it is in fact Jay, she doesn't' know whether she feels relief, anger, or yearning more. She lets out another small sigh before she opens the door, having no idea where this night is going to go. There are only so many more dumb fights she can handle at the moment.

He smiles at her bashfully as he extends out an expensive bottle of bourbon, her version of flowers and she rolls her eyes at him allowing him entry. He may sometimes be the most aggravating man on the planet, but damn if he doesn't know her.

"You're not here to tell me how much you don't trust Garret with me again are you? Because if so, Jay, you can march right back out! The bottle stays, of course."

Jay gives her one of his half-smirks, trying to tread lightly. The last thing he wants is for this conversation to scare her off again. "Actually, I just saw Garret…"

"What, why? You didn't kill him did you? I can only handle ghosts showing up once a decade!"

"No, Hailey, I didn't kill him… in fact, him and I finally came to an understanding!"

"Yea?" she says intrigued and a little nervous, walking back over to the couch as Jay follows.

"He confessed how he just wants what's best for you and that he doesn't think it's him anymore. That he thinks you would choose me anyway even if he did, and in the interim made me realize what an immature ass I've been…"

"Well, that last point is spot-on Jay!" she teases him with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yea, yea…"

"So that's why you're showing up at my door at 10 o'clock at night?" she asks questioningly.

"I thought this was part of our thing?" he smiles, trying to fully disarm the conversation.

"We haven't worked together in two months, I highly doubt this constitutes as a 'bad case.'"

"Oh, it most definitely does… I have a _bad case_ of falling in love with you…" he stares straight through her as he quietly admits it.

She stares back astonished, her mouth slightly open, not knowing what to say; he declared it so nonchalantly. Jay starts to tense up slightly, wondering if it was the wrong approach. He figured after all this time it'd be best to just finally get it out.

"I'm sorry, that was pretty corny…"

"_Jay…_"

"Hailey…" they say at the same time.

"It's not corny, Jay…" she whispers out, quickly looking away trying to break his piercing gaze.

"Hailey…" he softly puts his fingers on her chin, turning her head to face him again. "I promise I'm finally over all this jealousy and worry. I can see why you loved Garret as much as you did because he really is a decent guy. I'm just hoping that I can make you love me that much one day because, God Hailey, if you can't tell by now how much you mean to me, than we really are both stubborn idiots. I've bottled up how much I love you for far too long now and I don't want to anymore. I don't even care if we never get to be partners again, even if you are the best ever, as long as I can be with you in every other aspect of life…" he manages to get out.

Hailey looks back into his eyes with welling ones of her own, silently taking it all in and letting him finally confess the words she's been waiting to hear, as scared as she once was of them.

"It's more…" she struggles to softly say.

Jay raises his brow at her, not fully comprehending.

"You don't have to hope that I'll love you as much as I did Garret, I already love you_ more_…" she says as a tear drops down her cheek. Jay gives her one of his bright smiles that she only gets to witness.

"You big, dumb jerk!" she speaks again as they both laugh, Jay moving his head as close to her as he did the other night.

"Full disclosure Hailey, I have no intention of leaving tonight…" he rasps out.

She smirks at him as she wraps her hands around his neck, pulling him in even closer. "Well good, because for once I wasn't going to make you…" she says happily before she decides she wants to be the one to surprise him this time.

She leans in more, bringing his mouth down to hers and kisses him passionately without giving him a chance to respond. It takes all of two seconds for his shock to wear off and for him to eagerly start kissing her back, feeling like all the stars have finally aligned. For once they feel like they've found their place and nothing else mattered, it had all been leading to this moment, to them together. Hailey moans into his mouth as she feels his hand brush her bare side, exciting Jay so much that he easily manages to flip them and pin her into the couch. Hailey's last coherent thought is that she's definitely feeling a "sick day" tomorrow… from there she lets all the pent-up feelings and emotions take full control for the rest of the night…

* * *

_[A/N: Here's a fluffy chapter for y'all, I felt like you deserved one. Also, I know a lot of you seem to think Garret will be villainous, I just want to note that it's not the direction I'm going; for a variety of reasons. Sometimes relationships are just tricky, shit happens, & no ones to blame. Humans can't help how they feel, there's way more gray than we make things out to be. So if you were one of the few who like how I've developed him thus far, enjoy! He's mature enough to let Hailey go gracefully. Thank you again so much for the love you've shown, I hope this one doesn't disappoint!]_


	5. Chapter 5

Hailey woke up around 10:30 sensing Jay's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head, and she couldn't help the huge grin that formed on her face. They had originally woken up at 6 to their work alarms and mutually agreed they deserved a day off and fell back asleep in each other's arms. She turned in his embrace to face him and saw that his dorky smile mirrored her own.

"I think you're the best view I've ever woken up to." Jay says as he holds her tighter.

"Aren't we the flatterer recently?!" she says chuckling, but still can't help from blushing. "I can't believe we both actually called out of work."

"Yea, who are we?" he concurs.

"I don't know, but I kind of like it"

"It's a good thing we didn't get the team back yet cause Voight would kill us if we both didn't come in. He would have to though because there was no way I could go to work with the way you wore me out last night…" he teases her. "You're insatiable!"

She gapes at him as they both laugh and she pushes his arm, faking outrage. "You're such a jerk."

"Hey, I'm not complaining, you can wear me out every day in that way!" he winks and she shakes her head.

"There was a lot of missed time that we had to make up for!" she says matter-of-factly.

"You're telling me! Speaking of… we should get on that again, time is so fleeting…" he muffles out as he starts kissing her neck and rolling her under him.

She lets out a breathy sigh before biting her lip, running her fingers through his hair. "Mmm, Jay, we will have to get out of this bed at some point today though."

He runs his lips up to her ear to whisper and as she shivers says, "Much later, like dinner time…"

She smiles again, the most content she's ever been. "Fine, but you're buying or cooking!" She says right before she grabs his head and kisses him thoroughly; ending all conversation for the rest of the morning…

True to their word, they really don't leave the bedroom until 4-something. Neither able to hide the giddiness that they're feeling. After showering and settling in front of the TV, Jay orders them a ton of Chinese food off of one of his delivery apps. Hailey snuggles into his chest on the couch as they watch the end of the Cubs game.

"I wish every day could be like this!" she says.

"Me too!" he replies, pulling her closer.

Hailey tries to savor every wonderful moment she can because she knows soon enough they'll have to face their realities again. The one upside is that they'll be doing it together from here on out. She wishes she didn't spend as long running from this as she did. She and Jay probably wasted a year at minimum thanks to their fears and stubbornness. She shudders to think of a life without him if they had let themselves succumb to their own stupidity and drift apart.

A few minutes go by, and then as if on cue her cell phone chimes from a message. She begrudgingly pulls away from Jay's chest to grab her phone off the coffee table. The text is from Garret saying they should all get together to go over his plan the sooner the better, preferably tonight. Hailey rolls her eyes to herself, _of course_… time to face reality again.

Jay senses her mood shift and simply says, "Garret?" for once without a hint of jealousy.

"Yea, he says we should get on with it all soon, wants to go over the plan ASAP. Guess I should see if all the guys can meet at Molly's tonight?"

"And just when I finally get you all to myself." Jay smirks.

"I know, it sucks! But I guess the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we're all back together. Besides, it doesn't mean that after the bar you won't have me all to yourself again!" she says flirtatiously.

"Oh, I intend to, Upton! This time I'm going to wear _you_ out!.."

"You wish, Halstead!" laughing when she sees his challenging eyebrow raise.

Yea, she's definitely going to savor _every single moment_.

* * *

By the time they arrive at Molly's everyone's already there- Garret, Adam, Kevin, Kim, and Trudy. The two of them had gotten a little "sidetracked" again after dinner and ended up arriving almost a half hour late. Suspicions were already high amongst the group because out of everyone, Hailey and Jay were usually the most prompt. And then when they showed up together, positively glowing, there was no hiding it.

"It's about freaking time you guys!" Kim says excitedly.

"Yea Halstead, I was beginning to think you forgot how to talk to women!" Platt chimes in.

Adam pulls out his wallet and unwillingly hands Kevin a twenty. "The pleasure was mine, Ruzek." Kevin says grabbing the money.

"Did you guys seriously bet on us getting together?" Jay asks incredulously.

"Pfft, no… we all knew that was coming once you got your heads out of your asses. I bet Kev that there was no way you'd show up late because you were, well, _coming_… But hot damn was I wrong!" Adam smirks, amusing himself.

Hailey actually blushes. "We got stuck in traffic, c'mon!"

They all stare at her in disbelief, including Jay. Kim folds her arms, "Hailey, you're only 10 minutes from here, barely!"

"Alright, alright, alright… can we just get on with this already?" Hailey exclaims trying to change the subject.

They all agree to move on, but not before the guys decide to pat Jay on the back and Kim give Hailey a hug. Platt walks over to her too.

"I'm happy for you, kid! Jay's someone you're meant to work it out with!" she says referencing their convo from months ago now, which feels like a lifetime.

"Thanks Sarge!" she smiles gratefully before making her way over to Garret.

She leans in and gives him a hug, no longer fearing Jay's wrath. "And thank you, Jay told me what you said to him, I really appreciate it! I don't know how to repay you for all that you're doing for us."

He smiles down at her. "Just be happy, Hailey. That's all the payment I need… Lord knows I already gave you enough tears."

She smiles back at him as Jay walks over to shake his hand. "Thanks again, man!"

"Anytime! Now let's get to it, shall we?"

They all make their way over to a back table to have more privacy. Garret jumps right in once everyone is situated.

"Well, first things first, I need to start by saying everything we're going to have to do from here on out is going to be completely off the book. There are things that will cross the lines between right and wrong, and if any of you are uncomfortable with it, I suggest the less you know the better, walk away now…"

"Our boss is Hank Voight, I don't think any of us have a problem with muddling in the gray anymore." Kevin says, speaking for them all.

"Alright then, great! I can't tell you how, but I've made contact with Voight, and he's in the know. He says to tell you guys how proud of you he is." Garret gives them all a second to process their feelings as the team all share emotional looks. He continues on, "Brennan is long in the wind, but my colleague and I will pin her down once all the rest of this settles. For now she has a well-known gangbanger associate, Carlos Tyde that she and Kelton kept on the payroll. He was not involved with the hit in anyway, but the plan is to make it look like he was Brennan's accomplice that night instead of Voight. Carlos loves frequenting prostitution rings. We need Hailey and Kim to go under and find a way to get his gun and bring it back. After that, our DNA guys will do the rest."

"No, absolutely not!" Jay and Adam almost equally say at the same time.

"I'm afraid it's not up to you boys… Hailey, Kim, you in? I'm afraid it's our best option." Garret asks.

Jay gives Hailey a look from across the table, but she does her best to ignore it.

"Of course, you just tell us what you need us to do." Hailey speaks first.

"Yea, what Hailey said. Anything to try to save the team." Kim replies.

"Why can't one of us guys go under and get it from him in a different setting? Adam and Kevin do it all the time. Makes more sense than sending the girls in blind, as prostitutes no less!" Jay tries to object.

"Because we need him where he'll have his guard down the most, and this is when he does. We'll all be monitoring outside. None of us will let anything happen to them."

"What do you think, Sarge?" Adam asks Platt.

"I mean, they're both very capable. You all do plenty of undercover gigs. If this is our best chance of clearing Hank, then I think we have to take it!"

"Exactly!" Kim and Hailey nod in agreement.

Jay shakes his head, clearly displeased, but he knows there will be no talking them out of it. The remainder of the time they spend figuring out the best date to attempt this and finessing all the little details. They decide on a week from now, hoping it will give them ample time to figure out any last minute details.

It's late by the time Jay and Hailey finally get back to her place, and unfortunately both of them will have to work in the morning. There will be no rest for the wicked two days in a row. When they're settled back in bed at last, Jay decides to wear all the emotions on his sleeve.

"I don't like this…" he tells her as they face each other.

"Me either… but it's gonna be alright."

"Hailey, you have to promise me that you'll be extra careful. I can't lose you!" Jay anguishing whispers out.

"You wont-"

"Promise!"

"I promise, Jay! C'mon, I'll be fine. I did a year undercover, remember?"

"Not like this…"

She strokes his cheek trying to calm him and leans her forehead into his. "Hey, the universe didn't finally put us together only to tear us apart. Even Platt thinks we're meant to be! Trust me, ok?" she kisses him softly then hugs her to him, pulling his head in between her shoulder & neck and stroking his hair.

Jay relaxes a little bit, but he can't help the bad feeling gnawing at his insides no matter how much he tries to squelch it. He hopes Hailey's right, for all their sakes…

* * *

_[A/N: Bum bum bum... Flipped the switch on this chapter, started out with some fluff, ended with some angst. Guess we'll see where it goes. Thank you kindly for all the lovely reviews and responses to this story. I appreciate you all! For now the plan is for at least a couple more chapters, so stay tuned. Hopefully I can maintain the intrigue for us all. PS. My next update (I try like once a week) should be right before FILMING starts again, craaaazy! So excited- hoping for great Jesse & Tracy pics ;) ] _


	6. Chapter 6

It's been exactly a week since Garret filled them in on the undercover plans to frame Carlos. The big day is set for tomorrow night and hopefully everything will culminate with it. The group had all gotten together a couple times over the week to sketch out the final arrangements. Hailey and Kim are going along with everything as well as can be expected. The same can't be said for Jay, nor Adam, who have yet to get over their trepidations. The boys have managed to stay silent for the most part though, knowing that their worries will fall on deaf ears anyway. If anything, Hailey has been doing her best to distract Jay all week, and vice-versa, to keep their thoughts sane and not dwell on the task at hand.

Tonight is no different, especially since it's their "last" one, both trying to keep their emotions in check as much as possible. It was a slightly cooler day in Chicago for early October and Hailey and Jay decided to take a stroll through Union Park after going to the Blackhawks season-opener. They were walking around eating the warm churros and hot chocolate they got trying to ignore the chilly air and the realization of how big tomorrow was for them and the team.

Hailey sneaked a look up at Jay and could tell there was so much he was holding in despite their fun & relaxing day. The streetlights drawing attention to his blue-green eyes clouded over with concealed apprehension. It always pained her to see him like this, especially knowing that his worry was over her. It's not that she didn't have her own fears about tomorrow, but she knew she had to block them out to keep her focused and alert on the mission they'll have to pull off. She wanted to keep the lighthearted nature of their night for as long as she could, so when an idea popped in her head she rolled with it. Her next sip of hot chocolate she made sure to "accidentally" get some whipped cream on her nose.

It took Jay all of 30 seconds for him to notice. She knew instantly because he started chuckling. "Uh, Hailey, you got a little whipped cream on your nose."

She feigned surprise. "Really? Did I get it?" she asks as she uses her sticky hand to smear more on instead of off.

"Uh, no…" he chuckles some more, finding her utterly adorable. "Here." He says as he takes his hand and gently wipes the bridge of her nose.

"Thanks. I was hoping you'd get it off another way though!" she jokingly pouts.

He cocked his eyebrow at her. "Oh? And how's that?"

She takes her hand that still has some cream on it and smears it on his cheek; then brings her clean hand up to his neck to pull his head down closer to hers. "Like this…" she says laughingly as she licks it off his cheek. "Only maybe more romantically, y'know?"

He smirks back and rolls his eyes at her, but catches on, stopping to kiss her sweetly in the middle of the open field. She smiles into his mouth, thrilled that he's playing along. When they break apart they link hands and continue on their walk.

"Thank you." Jay says after another couple minutes.

"For what?" she asks, genuinely not knowing.

"I know what you're doing… trying to make me laugh so it keeps my mind off of tomorrow."

Hailey smiles to herself, they really can't hide anything from each other. It's something that used to scare the crap out of her, but now she relishes in the fact.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jay. I just happen to be a messy hot cocoa drinker…"

"Uh huh, sure." They grin at each other. "It was a valiant effort, one that will keep my worry at bay for a little while, but it's not going to change the fear I'll have tonight and through tomorrow until you're safely back in my arms." He continues.

"I know, Jay, I get it. And I know there won't be anything I can say to ease your mind… but I was thinking maybe we could buy a bottle of whipped cream on the way home and I could give you lessons on how to clean it up properly? It should keep your… _mind_… occupied for a while." She looks up at him with a heated stare, her clear blue eyes glinted with mischief as his almost bug out of his head.

"Hailey Upton, you are going to be the death of me, but I can't think of a better way to go out!" he practically growls, throwing her onto him piggy-back style and running towards his truck as fast as he would if he was chasing a criminal. Her contagious laugh swimming through his ear drums and he's certain that's the one sound he'd keep with him till the end of time.

* * *

The next morning comes quicker than either of them would have liked. They know there's no distracting today and reality has to be faced. They get up and get ready as if in a fog. It's not until they're drinking their coffee around Hailey's kitchen island that they talk.

"Hailey, I just want to tell you…"

"Jay, stop, it's going to be fine. I'll be fine…" she cuts him off.

"Yea, I know, but if anything goes sour in there, and I mean _anything_, you get the fuck out of there, you hear me? Voight would not want you or Kim risking your safety to try to fix his stupid mistakes!"

"Jay, this team goes to bat for each other right? No matter what. We fight for each other. You would do the same, as would Voight, to fight for one of us, don't pretend you wouldn't. So would anyone else. He needs us and we're not going to fail him again."

"I know, I know. I just _need_ you to come back to me ok?" his eyes glisten with emotion and hers start to match. Not wanting to somber her mood too much, Jay quickly adds, "Cause y'know last night you got to show your whipped cream talents, but I didn't get to show you the talents I have with Maraschino cherries." He winks at her and she cracks up.

"I'm gonna hold you to that, Jay… as well as some deep dish from Lou's once this is over!"

"It's so on!" he grins right before he kisses her, deciding to savor their final moments before they go meet the team.

An hour later the band is back together at the 21st Precinct; the first time all of them have been upstairs together in at least three months, figuring where else to get set up but the stomping grounds they're trying to save. They spend several hours preparing, Garret taking charge the whole way of course.

"My colleague got these fake identities made for you girls just in case." He says as he hands Hailey and Kim their new IDs.

"Roxanne Creaver and Tiffany Lea Smith, aka Tammy and Dixie? I call dibs on Dixie, Hailey!" Kim laughs as they look over their credentials and folder.

"It's all you, Kim!" Hailey laughs too, the girls easing some of the worried tension in the room. Jay, Adam, Kevin, and Platt not being able to help from chuckling as well.

"One of my trusted CI's was able to secure an opening for two additional girls in the house tonight, so you guys will be able to stay together hopefully. I was able to get my hands on wired earrings, they're still in the testing phases, but should work perfectly for our monitoring purposes, and will fit your covers. Once you guys go inside, Ruzek and Atwater will hang on the corner looking like they're there for a score. Jay, Trudy, and myself will be surveilling in a van down the street. If anything gets dicey, we'll be able to run in real quick!"

Jay protests the last part. "I'd rather be on the street closer to the house. Adam or Kevin can go in the van."

He gets a look from all of them, knowing it's not the best idea. The last thing they need is Jay to get panicked over the slightest thing concerning Hailey and going rogue.

"No Jay, you're staying with me, there's no option otherwise." Garret repeats, maintaining his authority.

Jay's nostrils start to flare and he's about to go off when Hailey quickly butts in. "Jay, I'd feel safer with you in the van monitoring. The hearing will be spotty at best on the street… stay with the equipment. If something happens, you'll clearly be able to hear our safe words." She grabs his forearm comfortingly.

He knows she's just trying to squelch the argument, but goes along with it anyway knowing they don't need any added drama. "Fine… but just know that if something goes haywire there's no amount of locks in that van that will keep me from running in!"

"Duly noted!" Garret says, also wanting to move on from the topic as fast as possible. "Alright well, you girls should probably get dressed soon. Carlos usually shows up within the next couple hours."

When the girls emerged in their outfits, tight & short leather skirts with lacy tank tops, there were jaw drops all around.

"Wow ladies, I think these looks suit you! You should add them to the permanent collection!" Platt says.

"Yea, damn Burgess and Upton, who knew you guys had legs!?" Kevin seconds grinning.

"Shutup, Kev!" Kim says as she playfully smacks him in the arm.

"Hot damn! Well, I sure did!" Adam chimes in and both girls groan and roll their eyes.

"Oh my God!" Hailey shakes her head at him then looks to Jay who's stayed silent.

She walks over to him and leans against his old desk with him. "What do you think?" she quietly asks.

"I think once I know you're safe and I can stop worrying, that this outfit needs to come home with you!" he grins at her flirtatiously.

"Whatever you say, Halstead." She grins back enjoying their last brief moment of peace.

* * *

Carlos Tyde had entered the whore house after Hailey and Kim were situated inside. The girls did their best to limit any contact or conversation with the few other low-life men who were there before he arrived. Fortunately, it was no problem considering all of the real prostitutes were vying for their attention. Carlos had brought two of his goons with him. Luckily Garret had given them some pills to roofie drinks if they needed to. Kim and Hailey shared a look knowing the move they had to make in order for this to go as smoothly as possible.

"Hey boys, you looking to party? I'm Dixie and this is my girl, Tammy. We always love a good time!" Kim says making her way seductively over to them first. Carlos' goons eyeing her up like she was a piece of meat.

"We're always looking to party!" one of them says while leering at her.

Hailey makes her way over, "Well that's great because Dixie and I know how to show y'all a real good time!" she says in her best fake Southern drawl.

Carlos eyes her up, clearly taking a liking to her. "They do say blondes have more fun!"

"Oh, that we do!" she bites her lip and smiles at him flirtatiously.

"She really does! Why don't you say we grab some drinks and all head over to that bedroom over there?" Kim rasps out. She notices Carlos' gun tucked in the back of his jeans and nonchalantly signals hers eyes to alert Hailey. Hailey gives her a look to signal she understands as they make their way over to the bar to make drinks.

"What can I make y'all? I do the meanest 7&7's!" Hailey asks.

The two guys nod their heads like lap dogs, but Carlos does otherwise. "I'll get my own, girlie."

"Ya sure? My drinks are really _banging_!" she tries to flirt harder and get him to drop his guard.

"I'm good with beer, take care of my boys!" he says studying her.

Not wanting to force the issue she agrees and starts to make the drinks for the remaining four of them while Kim tries to distract the guys. She waits for the perfect opportunity to slip the roofies in the drinks, but has no such luck since Carlos is eyeing her every move the entire time. She gives up and just hopes her and Kim will find another chance to do it. Hailey hands them their drinks then her and Kim start making their way to a bedroom.

When they get to the door they turn around and try to give their most provocative poses. "You boys ready?" Kim asks.

"Hell yea!" one of the guys says and enters the bedroom as the others start to follow.

Carlos grabs Hailey's arm right as she's entering and pulls her back. "I don't do groups!"

Hailey feels anxiety rise within her but does her best to play it off. "Well, Dixie and I are a packaged deal!"

"Not tonight you're not. I want you _all to myself_!" his says into her face, his hot breathe on her neck.

"Well, I'm here to please you, the pleasure is mine!" she says doing her best to smile at him and act sincere. She calls out to Kim to let her know their plan is going off the path. "Dixie, I'm gonna take this nice gentleman to the Happy Room, y'all enjoy now!"

Hailey guides Carlos to another room down the hall and as soon as they enter it he closes the door, pushes her up against it, and starts nipping her collarbone.

"Hey big fella, why don't we take our time? It'll be worth it I promise!" Hailey tries to confidently say and gain the upper-hand back.

"Whatever you say blondie!" he makes his way over to a reclining chair near the bed and plops down, sipping his beer and leering at her.

Hailey debates how to play this. She can't slip him the drug, his guard is too up for that. He does seem to be super attracted to her though, so she knows that's her best angle to play. She figures she can teasingly get over to him then inject him with one of the needles Garret gave them for '_oh shit'_ purposes.

She saunters over to him and straddles him once she gets there, pushing her barely-clad breasts into his face and feeling completely disgusting. She feels him inhaling her perfume and reaches to her back thinking he's distracted enough… no such luck.

He grabs her arm and then reaches across her back himself, catching and grabbing the needle.

"What the fuck bitch!?"

Hailey does her best to look at him innocently. "I figured we could use a little fix, makes me so horny!"

"Yea, so why were you gonna try to drug me without asking?"

"I wasn't!"

He pushes her off of him and Hailey falls to the floor right on her ass. "I knew there was something off about you girls, but I was willing to ignore it since you're so hot. My dick's mistake. Why've I never seen you here before?"

"Marco normally has us on West Ferdinand, but we asked for the indoor gig since it's chilly this week!" Hailey says racking her brain for all the info Garret passed on to them about the pimp and his other territories.

"Oh, it's chilly is it? Isn't that convenient in Chicago?! You a cop?"

"What? No! Of course not, do I look like a pig to you?"

"You look like a bitch who's trying to fuck me over somehow!"

Hailey stands up and tries her best to seduce him again, stroking his chest. "Look, why don't we just do a bump? Baby it'll feel sooo good and then you'll know there's only one way I'm trying to fuck you!"

"Oh you're good! But not good enough, my mama didn't raise no fool!" he says as he raises his hand and smacks her _hard_ across the face.

Her legs buckle and she falls down again, this time staring up at Carlos hovering over her. He leans over her and whispers into her ear, "I'm gonna give you the fix you want!" then bangs her head into the floor.

A couple minutes later all Hailey sees is blurry darkness… She tries to stay awake, but she can't fight anymore and her consciousness starts to fade. The last thought she remembers having is _she should have listened to Jay_… _JAY_… and then the blackness take over…

* * *

_[A/N: Apologies, I'm sure you hate me for the end suspense... it'll get better though, I promise! That's really the only anecdote I got. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks so very much again for continually following along, it's always appreciated. Until next time! ;) ] _


	7. Chapter 7

Hailey's head pops up with a start in the parked ambulance bay, before she even realizes her surroundings, she instantly starts questioning.

"Where is he? Did we get the bastard?"

"Relax Detective, I just woke you with smelling salt and your brain is probably in overdrive. You passed out from a mild concussion, but you're okay now." Sylvie Brett explains, trying to soothe Hailey.

Hailey takes a moment to look around, feeling her hand locked into someone's, turning to see Jay's concerned face staring at her to her left, with Brett directly over her. She breathes a sigh of relief, but still wants her questions about Carlos answered.

"You really do want to be the death of me, Hailey!" Jay smirks at her as he softly strokes her hand with his thumb.

"What happened? Did we get him?" she asks again, frowning.

"Yea, we did… Kim managed to break free of the other two idiots and took a glass vase to Carlos' head before he could… before he could do anything else to you…" Jay tries to say without chocking up and it's Hailey's turn to stroke his hand. "Good thing she got there first, because Garret and I were right behind and I was going to kill him for hurting you…" he drops his head down, still clearly rattled.

"Jay, it's ok, I'm okay… hey, look at me," she puts her hand under his chin and pushes his face back up to meet her eyes. "I'm fine!"

Brett senses that privacy would probably be ideal right now and excuses herself. "I'm gonna go get a statement from Trudy so I can finish writing up my report. I'll come back to check on you in a bit."

They both nod at her in thanks and Jay leans his head onto Hailey's shoulder once Brett is gone, taking a minute to just savor that she was back here with him and not severely injured.

"Hailey, I don't know what I would have done if things turned out worse… out of all the people I've lost, next to my parents, I think losing you would break me completely…" he mutters out and Hailey is slightly taken aback by his blunt honesty, but incredibly touched.

"I feel the same about you, Jay… but hopefully neither of us will have to worry about that for a really, _really_ long time! For now, let's just be thankful we're a step closer to bringing Voight back."

"Yea, you're right…"

"Of course I'm right, Halstead, and you better get used to saying it since you'll be stuck with me as your partner again soon!" they both laugh at her joke as Kim comes charging into the bay.

She rushes the gurney and envelopes Hailey into a huge hug, causing shocked and amused expressions from both Jay and Hailey.

"I'm so happy to see you're ok, I hated that that asshole separated us!" Kim says as she pulls back.

"Thanks Kim, I owe you a night of drinks for sure! How'd you manage to incapacitate all three of them?"

"Oh, well the two goons were easy… I slipped the roofies into their drinks as soon as we entered the bedroom, then I waited a few minutes knowing the effects would take hold soon and just told them I'd be back, I was gonna go get a whip- they ate it up!" Kim shook her head and they all laughed. "In fact, they're out cold as we speak… Garret said we can probably just leave them there, slightly undressed, and they'll wake thinking they had a grand 'ol time! As for Carlos, once I got closer to the room you guys were in I heard him yelling at you, grabbed a vase in the hall, and saw him hovering over you so I smashed it over his head- he didn't know what hit him. A minute or two later, Jay and Garret came rushing in… and here we are. Adam and Kevin just threw Carlos into the back of one of Garret's agents SUVs."

Kim recaps, leaving out the fact that Jay kicked the pulp out of Carlos' face once Brett & Emily Foster had arrived and started to attend to an unconscious Hailey; only stopping because Garret finally made him. Jay looks over at Kim and nods at her in thanks… not that he won't tell Hailey that left out tidbit soon, but no need to trouble her more right now.

"Wow, you guys really got a lot done while I took a nap! So what happens now?" Hailey asks and as if on cue, Garret, Adam, Kevin, & Platt all make their way over to the ambo to check on her.

"Well, as you know, this didn't go to plan… our intent was never to alert Carlos of our scheme, we just needed his gun to frame the evidence… but obviously since there's no choice now, my colleague will take him into Federal custody and we'll blackmail him. Scum like that will own up to almost anything for the right cost. Fortunately, most _'clients'_ were occupied inside rooms already when Jay & I breached the house and we got you guys out… so we shouldn't have to explain this much. And anyone who did see something was probably too coked up to realize anyway, so we have that going in our favor. I'm going to ride with Carlos tonight to a secure location and hopefully we'll have it all ironed out by the end of the week… stay low and keep quiet until you hear back from me. Hailey, I hope you know how sorry I am… I never meant to put you in harm's way! I'm so glad you're ok!" Garret says reaching over to give Hailey a hug.

"Thanks Garr, I'm fine, nothing I haven't experienced before…" the two of them share a knowing look, along with Jay, while the others look on confused, but none of them dare bother asking.

Garret nods at her in understanding and starts stepping away. "I'll be in touch! See you guys soon…" and with that, he's off again, as quickly as he arrives.

The others hover over Hailey for a little while longer, just making themselves believe she's fine, until Brett returns, leaving Hailey in her and Jay's hands.

"Alright Hailey, how are you feeling?" Brett asks, looking at her clipboard.

"I feel alright, just a headache."

"Yea, you're gonna have that for a couple days. We can still drive you to Med if you want, or you can go yourself… even though I'm certain the concussion is mild, you should probably still go have a MRI done to be safe."

"No, thanks Brett, but I'm good. You guys have plenty of other people to save instead of worrying about me."

"Hailey…" Jay starts to say.

Brett laughs, knowing she does _not_ want to be in the middle of this conversation. "Well, I obviously can't force you… but if you feel any nausea or blurred vision come on in the next few hours, definitely have Jay take you. Also, as I'm sure you know, try not to go into a deep sleep tonight. I'm sure you guys can figure something out!.." she says suggestively.

"_Sylvie_!" Hailey scolds, laughing and blushing as Jay's eyes go wide.

Brett raises her hands in defense, smiling. "Hey, word travels fast in Chicago… and it's _pretty_ obvious!"

"Yea yea… well, I'll just be taking Miss Stubborn here home now since I'm sure she'll refuse to see my brother. Thanks for all of your help!" Jay says as he starts to help Hailey up and out of the rig.

"Yes, thanks Brett, I really appreciate it! We'll have to do another girl's night soon!"

"_Oh yes_, definitely…" Brett says as she slams the back ambo doors, sharing a smiling look with Hailey before she makes her way back up to the passenger door to take off.

Jay rolls his eyes and sighs, faking exasperation as he puts his arm protectively around Hailey to guide her back to the van. What a night!

* * *

A few days later Jay and Hailey are hanging out at her place. Her concussion hasn't caused any setbacks, but she still hasn't returned to work, at least active duty yet, and the boredom has started to take its toll. Jay took off with her the first day, but he had to return to work the day after. She's spent her days watching bad daytime television and getting anxious (as they all have) over the fact that they haven't heard back from Garret yet. They do their best to distract themselves though so it doesn't eat them alive.

Hailey's in the kitchen reaching up to grab herself a wine glass from a high cabinet when Jay comes running over and grabs it for her.

"Jay, would you stop, please? I can do things, I'm not going to break!" she says pursing her lips.

"Yea, I know… but I'm here, and I'm taller, so just let me do it!" he smirks at her and she sighs.

He's been waiting on her practically hand and foot since the Carlos incident, and while she finds it completely unnecessary and somewhat frustrating receiving so much attention, she does secretly find it to be somewhat cute… not that she'll _ever_ admit it to him though.

"Whatever Halstead, why don't you make yourself a drink so you can relax?" she says as she pours herself some Merlot.

He comes around behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, tucking his head in her nape. "I can think of a better way to help me relax…" he whispers as he plants a kiss under her ear.

She feels him grin as she shivers in delight and turns around into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yea? And what's that?"

"I think I'm just going to have to show you…" he kisses her as he slowly starts walking them into the living room and towards the couch. She digs her hands into his hair as they fall on it, she's already forgotten about the wine.

Right in the middle of their deep make out session and before they can take it a step further, they hear the TV go into the 'Breaking News' music and an anchor start to speak, breaking them from their euphoria…

_…In a shocking turn of events we have more answers today on the killing of Chicago Mayor Brian Kelton who was shot at point-blank range on Election Night in his home back in May. Carlos Tyde, a gang member of the Latin Kings, rumored to be an associate of suspect, Katherine Brennan, former CPD Superintendant, was killed on his own volition today at his mother's home in Texas. Police apprehended him on evidence that he was an accomplice to Brennan the night of Mayor Kelton's murder. Tyde was said to have confessed in a statement, but soon fled the scene. When officers arrived at his mother's house they were too late, Tyde had taken his own life. Brennan is still missing, and is believed to be armed and dangerous. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please reach out to the Chicago Police Department. We'll continue to bring you more on this developing story as it comes out… _

At this point, Hailey and Jay have been sitting up with shocked expressions on their faces. Both can't believe this is what they agreed to take a part in, but shamefully not feeling much remorse.

"Holy shit, Garret actually had Tyde killed…" Jay says in shock, not getting a response from Hailey as she sits there and stares at the TV, which has now switched back to some sitcom. "…Hailey, Hailey…" he calls outs to her, trying to break her from her haze.

"I can't believe it…" she finally says.

"How _high_ up is Garret!?" Jay asks rhetorically. "This is some level of corruption that even tops Kelton & Voight's status!"

"_Yea…._ He did warn us, I guess. I just can't believe how much he's compromised over the years…"

"We all teeter the line at some point, even you and I… and for once, I can't say I disagree with this move. I wanted to kill Carlos myself for what he did to you, I almost did…"

"Me too!..." she whispers, both surprised to be admitting to the darker part of themselves.

"I just don't understand _why_ Garret did it this way!" Jay says as his phone goes off.

He sees it's Kevin calling and puts it on speaker. "You guys hear?"

"Yea man, we just saw it on the news…" Jay responds.

"No, not Tyde… Voight… Platt just called Ruz and told him that Voight will be back at the end of the week. The gang's getting back together!" Kevin says excitedly.

Jay and Hailey look at each other, sharing so many emotions at once… shock, happiness, apprehension… Their unit will _finally_ be all back together soon, at a great cost… And if there's anything they learned these past few months it's that the lines between black and white have completely blurred, and there will never be any going back…

* * *

_[A/N: Hope this kind of makes up for leaving y'all in a cliffhanger last chapter. I'm planning for a nice, wrapped-up conclusion soon. Thank you bunches for riding along the journey with me in this; Upstead fans are THE BEST!]_


	8. Chapter 8

It's been a day since the news broke, and everyone has been waiting in anticipation for not only Voight to return, but curious to know how Garret pulled it off. It was a little after 9 o'clock at night and Hailey and Jay had just settled in on her couch to watch a movie and clear their heads when they heard a knock on the door. They shared a look, knowing already just who it probably was. Hailey walked over to the door with Jay following halfway behind. When she looked into the peephole to see who it was, their assumptions were confirmed.

Hailey pulled back the door to a solemnly looking Garret. "Hey guys, sorry to show up so late…"

Hailey stepped aside to let him in while Jay met them and extended his hand, "Garret." He said as they nodded at each other.

"Come on, I'll grab us some beers…" Hailey says, walking up the step to her kitchen while the guys followed suit.

They all stand around her kitchen island, sipping on the brews, not knowing where to start. Garret finally breaks the silence again. "How's the head feeling?" indicating to Hailey.

"It's alright. Almost back to 100. Nothing I couldn't handle… although you wouldn't think it the way Jay was following me around like a lost puppy."

They all get a small chuckle out of it, easing some of the tension. "To be fair, I followed her around like that for at least a year as her partner before she noticed, so it's not out of the norm!" Jay jokes and they crack up.

"Hailey really has a way with the dudes, independently oblivious." Garret replies.

"Alright, alright, enough you two… we're moving on." Typical Hailey fashion, of course, as she walks back over to the living room, both guys smirking as they follow along.

Once they're all situated in her living room, another few seconds of silence goes by.

"So…." Garret starts to say, shrugging his shoulders in a way to show them to ask away.

"Yea…" Hailey starts.

"…What the hell happened?" Jay jumps right in.

"You want the unofficial story, the official story, or what really happened… well, what I can say of what really happened? " Garret responds.

"Think we already got the version that's _on record_ from the news…" Jay says as Hailey nods.

"Yea, so what's the real story? What are you involved in, Garret?" Hailey continues.

"Well, as you know, we took Tyde back to one of our secure locations. We were hoping to get him to agree to flip on Brennan, as well as fake confess to helping her murder Kelton; in exchange we'd get him into a minimum security prison, and setup a fund for his mother… The piece of shit wouldn't agree, threatened to talk that we were trying to set him up… unofficially he escaped our custody and fled, which is part of the media's version… officially, all I can say is we made sure he'd never be able to talk and jeopardize the operation, and we still planted his gun as evidence connected to Kelton's murder…"

Hailey looks uncomfortable and slightly shocked, and Jay stares back in disbelief while dropping the elephant in the room, "So, you and your government cronies killed him?"

"We exercised a plan to maintain the greater good, as well as cleansed a severe scum from the streets…" Garret responded, softly exhaling.

"Really, Garret? What happened to you, you were so moral?" Hailey shakes her head and whispers.

"So, the government just killed him in cold blood?" Jay asks.

"He tried to evade us, I wouldn't call that _cold blood_… and let's not forget _you_ almost killed him yourself. Plus, you spent years in Afghanistan, don't feign surprise. And Hailey, I heard what you did to Booth, thank you, by the way… not to mention WHO you guys work for, a guy who blurs every meaning of what's really right or wrong… bottom line is everything comes full-circle. You'll get Voight back, and you'll continue your work of cleansing Chicago, Brennan will eventually pay for her corrupt sins, as Kelton has already paid for his, and Carlos Tyde is now one less murdering, drug-dealing, rapist that's roaming the streets… I consider it a win!" Garret says shrugging, so nonchalantly, like it's the simplest thing in the world.

Hailey and Jay sit silently for a while, taking in all his words and trying to process them… the reality being they know he's right… but positively staggered to be agreeing with those dark truths. Apparently years of working with Voight, or just seeing the roughest shit of Chicago possible, will corrupt even the most righteous at times. Afterall, who's to say what's _really_ right or wrong; it's all relative isn't it?

"Jay and I were talking the other night when the news broke; we think Tyde got what he deserved for sure. He wasn't a good guy, and would never be… still, as cops, even under Voight, we've always tried to do things by the book, it's just a lot for us to accept…" Hailey finally says.

"I get that, but it seems to me it's been months now since _any_ of you have played by the book… sometimes survival requires us to adapt. Your adapting ended up saving your unit… at the end of the day, that's what we set out to do and that should be what matters most. Outside of this, it's really all I can say on this situation."

Jay slowly bobs his head at Garret's words. "Well, thanks man, we do really appreciate all the help you've given us. I don't know if any of us would know how to get Voight back without you!"

"It was my pleasure, really! Believe it or not, this was actually one of the lighter assignments I've had in a few years… just goes to show you what _I've_ been doing since faking my death!" Garret jokes as he starts to stand up. "Now if you you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get out of your guys' hair, I have some major sleep I need to catch up on!"

As they start walking him to the door, Hailey reaches out to his arm, a gesture to signal they're okay. "Platt is organizing a group outing at Molly's on Friday in honor of Voight's return. You should come… get to see everyone under less dire circumstances!"

Before he answers, he casually looks to Jay, trying not to overstep. "Yea, man, it'll be fun… you haven't lived until you witness a drunken Platt!" Jay reassures.

"Alright, thanks, I'll be there, not leaving until Sunday anyway. See you guys then." He says before exiting the door.

Once Hailey closes it on him she collapses into Jay, as he quickly envelops her in a hug, both glad that this emotionally draining week (months) is almost over. They make their way back to the couch and finally start their much needed Comedy movie.

* * *

After what has seemed like a lifetime, Friday has _finally_ arrived. Voight made it back to town the night before and had already caught up with Trudy. The rest of them were all anxiously awaiting his arrival at Molly's, even some friends from the CFD and Chicago Med came, everyone happy to hear he'd been officially cleared of any wrongdoing. Hank Voight may be rough around the edges, break some severe rules, and not always the easiest to get along with, but people certainly liked and respected him and his work.

When he finally arrived at the bar, Kim, Adam, and Kevin almost knocked him over in a huge embrace. Jay and Hailey, not ones for huge shows of emotion, hung back and waited their turn. They each gave him a welcoming hug once he was free to make his way over to them.

"Halstead, I hope you enjoyed the brief reign you had as acting leader!" Voight says while Adam hands him a beer.

Jay smirks and swallows a long sip of his. "It was certainly an interesting couple of weeks before they split us up finally…"

"I'm sure it was, but I have no doubt you guys handled yourselves well. I knew everyone would be in good hands under your watch!"

"Thanks, Sarge!" Jay says feeling honored as Hailey looks over at him proudly, giving him a small smile.

"Alright, enough of this mushy business… it's time for some celebration shots!" Platt says as she signals Stella over.

Right as she's ordering, Garret walks in and makes his way over. "OH, one more Kidd, and one for you too!" Platt continues, getting a good laugh out of everyone.

"You must be Garret? Nice to officially meet you in person and say 'thanks.'" Voight says, shaking his hand.

"Same here, Sergeant! And it was no problem, really."

"Y'know, I like the way you operate… if the Feds didn't have their stake in you, I'd be making you an offer to join Intelligence."

Garret laughs. "Well, I appreciate that… but after all these years, I do think I work better as a ghost!"

The conversation stops there because Platt starts putting the shots she bought in everyone's face.

Kevin stares down at the light green substance in his hand and then casually sniffs it. "Uh Sarge, no disrespect, but what is this!?"

She gives him a look that screams _duh_, "Green Tea shots, what's the matter Atwater, are they not man enough for you!?"

Kevin backtracks, "Uh no, I didn't mean that, they look delicious Sarge, thanks!"

"Voight returns after months and you're really gonna make us do girly…." Adam starts to say before Kim covers his mouth with her hand. "I mean, mmmm, they look so good!"

"Pipe it, Ruzek… we'll do tequila later!..To Hank, a fearless leader returns, bottoms up!" Platt says, signaling them all to join.

"Ooh, that was tasty!" Kim says when they finish, receiving death stares from Adam and Kevin. Jay and Hailey do their best not to burst out in laughter.

The rest of the night moves along rather uneventfully. Chief Boden and other CFD members, along with Will and Dr. Charles all make their way over to the corner occupied by the renewed Intelligence department to bullshit and welcome Voight back.

Will heads over to Jay at some point. "So that's Garret, huh?" he asks him signaling to Garret talking to Hailey, Trudy, and Kevin across the table.

"Yup." Jay says simply.

"Ruggedly handsome guy!..." Will starts to joke as Jay just shakes his head at him and smirks, happy to not feel any jealousy anymore.

"I mean, he's no looker like me, but I can see why you were nervous!"

They both laugh, "Shutup, Will!"

"How _are_ things going with you and Hailey? We haven't gotten to talk since you've been so busy with all this."

"They're great man, really great!" Jay says, grinning from ear to ear. As if sensing she's being talked about, Hailey looks over to the two brothers and smiles, lingering on Jay a little longer before she waves to Will.

Will waves back, "Yea, you two got it bad. I'm happy for you bro!"

A few feet away, Adam and Kim are conversing with Voight and catching up, learning that he spent that past few months at his distant cousin's farm in Iowa waiting for things in Chicago to settle. The thought of Hank Voight on a farm amuses them to no end.

"So boss, now that it's all cleared, did you… were you with… did you really help Brennan?" Adam boldly asks in only a way he could.

"Adam, how about we focus on the present alright? We have a lot of work to catch up on. Let's not dwell on questions that you don't need to know the answer to…" Voight vaguely responds as both Adam and Kim nod back in agreeance. They raise their eyebrows at the other as they sip their beer, surmising that maybe they _didn't_ want to know the answer.

Soon enough it's mostly just Intelligence and Garret left at the bar, signaling the end of the night for some.

Garret makes his way over to Hailey and Jay to say goodnight, and goodbye.

"Don't be a stranger, ok? We'll get to see each other again under better circumstances, right?" Hailey says to him as she gives him a hug.

"I honestly don't know where or how long my next assignment will be… but I can promise you that whenever I'm next in the Midwest again, I'll hit you both up!.. Oh, and Halstead, I know you have that brother of yours, but I fully expect to be made Best Man!" Garret says, chuckling along with Jay.

Hailey blushes, in a scenario that she would have never believed to be in even if the world's #1 psychic told her. "Let's not get a head of ourselves, don't freak out Jay already!"

"Oh, I don't know, I think we can make him the Ring Bearer or Flower Girl…" Jay jokes back.

Hailey rolls her eyes in exasperation, wondering how she possibly got teamed up on by the only two guys that ever mattered to her. "Oh my God, I don't know what to do with you two!"

They all burst out laughing before Garret says his final goodbye. "It was _really_ good seeing you again, Hails… I'm glad I finally got to right my wrongs… well, some of them!" he says while winking at her.

"And Jay…" he pulls him in closer as he shakes his hand. "I know you won't, but hurt her, and I'll kill you…"

Jay smirks. "Since I know you may _actually_ mean that… you have my word!" the two guys share a nod of understanding before Hailey gives Garret one last hug.

"Take care of yourself!" she whispers as he smiles down at her before turning around and walking out of their lives, hopefully not for forever, but who really knows.

A few minutes later, Voight decides it's his turn to call it a night. Lots of stuff to get done over the weekend before returning to the fiercest police team in Chicago. He makes his rounds to hug and thank each one of them personally for having his back.

On his way out, he turns back around to the few remaining; "Oh, and Jay, Hailey… I expect some HR forms on my desk come Monday morning!"

Hailey and Jay snap their heads to look at each other and blush while everyone else laughs. "Who told you?" Jay asks.

Voight smiles. "No one… it's about time… but I mean it, MONDAY MORNING!" and with that he walks out leaving Jay & Hailey standing there with their mouths open in shock- _how obvious were they_!?

"Oooh, you guys got Voight'd already!" Adam says while cracking up, only to get hit by Platt. Kim and Kevin exchange money, revealing they had a secret bet going about Voight's intuition as Jay and Hailey shake their heads at them.

"What? You try going back to officer pay!" Kevin shrugs his shoulders.

Hailey rolls her eyes again laughing. "I can't with everyone tonight!" she walks back over to the bar and yells down, "Kidd, can we get another round of tequila please?"

They all chuckle as Jay puts his arms around her. It was a close-the-bar-down type of night anyway.

* * *

The next day Jay told Hailey that he had to return to SWAT to wrap up some loose ends with open cases he had and that he probably wouldn't be free until after dinner. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to gather up the girl's finally for some much-needed brunch and female time before things got chaotic once more. With the Unit back together, who knows when they'd have another fully free weekend again. The day went by marvelously, and even though she missed Jay when he wasn't around, catching up with the girls was a lot of fun.

She returned back to her place a little before 5pm to dim lighting, lit candles, and the distinct smell of Lou's pizza in her oven. She smiled as she saw Jay's keys a top her hall table by the front door. When she rounds the corner after stepping into her kitchen, her heart bursts as she sees Jay straightening her living room; a bouquet of flowers along with a bottle of bourbon wrapped in a bow on her coffee table.

He senses her and pops his head up in shock. "Hailey, I figured you'd be out at least another hour. Kim was supposed to text me when you guys were done!"

She smiles, realizing the setup. "Kim had a little too many mimosas… and _me_? What about _you_? You told me you had to work all day!"

"I did… well, I had to work for like an hour, the rest of the day was to be reserved for surprising you… Surprise!" he says a little glumly, bummed that his plan didn't work out.

She makes her way over to him and wraps her arms around his neck, realizing his slight disappointment instantly. "Jay, you didn't have to do all this… but I love it!"

"And I love _you_…" he whispers as he kisses her softly and she all about melts. He leans his forehead onto hers as he pulls back and they just stare into each other's eyes for a bit.

"Is that Lou's that I smell in the oven?" she asks as she strokes his hair.

"Mhmm… and did you see what was on the counter?"

"No…" she says as she turns her head around to get a glimpse, bursting out in laughter soon after.

"Maraschino cherries, well played!" she smirks at him flirtatiously.

"I did promise you I'd show you my skills with a cherry!" he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively as her eyes went wide.

"How long has the pizza been on?" she asks as she breaks away from him, making her way back into the kitchen to his dismay.

"Maybe like 10-15 minutes, why?" he yells after her.

"Perfect… I'm gonna turn it off, we'll heat it later!"

She responds from the kitchen, confusing Jay, but he catches on seconds later when she returns with the cherry bottle in hand and seductively pulling her shirt off… throwing it to him as she starts making her way to the bedroom, loving the lustful look she put in Jay's eyes.

"Wait, _I'm_ supposed to be seducing _you_…" Jay manages to rasp out.

"Oh, you can, after I have my way with you…" she stands in her bedroom doorway waiting, making a show of unbuttoning her jeans and leaning against the doorframe in just her bra. "You coming?"

Jay almost trips as he runs over to her at lightning speed, yanking his shirt off along the way. She contagiously laughs as he growls and lifts her up before throwing her onto the bed and following suit. She wraps her arms around him and murmurs before he starts to kiss her again,

"And Jay, I love you too!"

"Yea, yea, I know… but it's time for less talking you little minx!" They giggle as they kiss, ending all conversation for a while.

They didn't get around to eating the pizza until 10pm, but neither minded in the least… besides, the candied cherries held them over. Neither knew what the future would hold from these moments on, but they knew it certainly would never be dull, and no matter what, they would face it together. After all, that's what good partners do…

* * *

_[A/N: Well, another conclusion transpires. Thank you to everyone for the positive response, wonderfully kind feedback, and for following along on this story's journey. I truly appreciate it! It definitely ended up being longer and unfolded in a different way than originally intended, and I couldn't ask for a better audience. Hope you guys enjoy this final part as well. I will be taking a brief break from writing after this, as I'm pretty busy the next couple weeks… but I will return with more one-shots, possibly an update to another story, & a promised upon plot soon. Until then, thanks so, so much again! Looking forward to reading other Upstead stories, and hopefully seeing some photos of filming soon - *coughs* I'm talking to you Jesse & Tracy, get on that, we miss our Upstead! ;) ]_


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